Access to initiatives managed by Arts Council England

Arts Council England (ACE) manages a number of cultural projects, programmes and initiatives that are open to archives. These include cross domain activities that in October 2011 transferred from the Museums Libraries and Archives Council.

Standards

Designation

Designation identifies the pre-eminent collections of national and international importance held in England's non-national museums, libraries and archives, based on their quality and significance. ACE manages the Designation Scheme on behalf of museums, libraries and archives. The National Archives provides expert advice on archive collections.

Funding

Arts Council England/V&A Purchase Grant Fund

The V&A Purchase Grant Fund contributes to the acquisition of objects relating to the arts, literature and history by museums, galleries, record repositories and specialist libraries in England and Wales which are not funded by central government.

Prism Fund

The fund for the Preservation of Industrial and Scientific Material (PRISM Fund) supports the acquisition and/or conservation of material objects which provide an important contribution to our understanding of science, industry or technology. As with the Arts Council England/V&A Purchase Grant Fund, this fund is available in England and Wales and only for organisations not funded by central government.

Grants for the Arts

Grants for the Arts is an open access funding programme for all types of organisation delivering arts activities (including museums, libraries and archives). The programme is funded from the National Lottery and particularly targets those projects which reach new audiences (typically 56% of successful applications and 40% of grants relate to individuals or organisations not previously funded by ACE). Cultural property

Government Indemnity Scheme The Government Indemnity Scheme offers an alternative to the cost of commercial insurance and is available to museums, galleries and libraries within the UK when borrowing works of art and objects for exhibitions and for long-term loan when particular security and environmental conditions are met.

Acceptance in Lieu The Acceptance in Lieu scheme enables taxpayers to transfer important works of art and other important heritage objects into public ownership while paying inheritance tax, or one of its earlier forms. The taxpayer is given the full open market value of the item, which then becomes the property of a public museum, archive or library. ACE manages the scheme. The National Archives provides expert advice on archival material.

Export Licensing The Export Licensing Unit issues, on behalf of the Secretary of State for Culture, licences to export cultural goods. Certain cultural objects more than 50 years of age and valued above specified financial thresholds require an individual licence for export out of the UK whether on a permanent or temporary basis.

Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art The Reviewing Committee's terms of reference are:

- to advise on the principles which should govern the control of export of objects of cultural interest and the operation of the export control system generally
- to advise the Secretary of State on all cases where refusal of an export licence for an object of cultural interest is suggested on grounds of national importance
- to advise in cases where a special Exchequer grant in needed towards the purchase of an object that would otherwise be exported

Security advice The National Security Service gives free advice to cultural venues about standards of security for loans and exhibitions. The priority is to establish that venues which wish to make use of the Governments Indemnity Scheme are able to meet appropriate security standards. 2012

Stories of the World Stories of the World is part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad, and aims to welcome the world to Britain by using our rich museums, libraries and archive collections and working with young people to tell inspirational stories about the UK's relationships with the world.

The People's Record In 2010 an online space The People's Record was launched to showcase and sustain the results of museum, library and archive led projects supporting community groups to have their say and tell their stories as part of a comprehensive record of the Games.

Our Sporting Life Our Sporting Life is a unique and ambitious celebration of British Sport. It is the first project of its kind to salute sport from grass roots to Olympic podia and will culminate in the world's greatest exhibition on the history of sport as the Olympic and Paralympic Games are launched in London in 2012.